Transportation system.



W. C. CARR.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1908.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

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IIIIIIIII.. [lll www Q01/vu Invent @dobukdtorney W. G. CARR.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. APPLICATION FILED JUNIsIz, 190s.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

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WILLIAM O. CARR, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

To all whom 'it mag/concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. CARR, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improved Transportation System, ofwhich the following is a4 specification.

This invention relates to improvements in transportation systems and theprincipal objects of the invention are to obviate the danger of water,snow or the like short circuiting the rail and to prevent the car wheelfrom conducting the electric current to the car body.

The invention also relates to certain details of construction which willbe fully and clearly. hereinafter described and claime.r reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings in which-,'-

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the rails, rail supports and the car ofthe improved transportation system,aseetion being shown through theconcrete foundation in which the bases of the supporting standards areembedded. Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section on line a a, Fig. 3through one of the wheels ofthe car of the improved transportationsystem, showing the method of securing itl toA the axle or shaft of themotor and insulating it therefrom, a fragment ofthe shaft. being shownin elevation. Fig. 3 isa section on line bb, Fig. 2 showing the insu.-lation between the car wheel and its axle or shaft. Fig. 4 is anenlarged transverse section on line c c, Fig. 1 through the rails andthe standard, which carries the rail supports, showing a front elevationof the rail supports and of the car in place upon the rails'. Fig. 5

Specification of Letters Patent. Application 1ed June 12, 1908.

is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section on line d d, Fig. 1 throughone of the rail supports, showing the method of insulating the verticalmembers from the transverse members. Fig. 6 is a transverse section online e e, Fig. 4.

In referring to the drawings in detail like numerals designate likeparts.

The track consists of two parallel rails 1 and are of channel or I lform 1n cross section. The supports" for the track which are arranged atintervals along the ground each comprise a suitable base 2 which isrigidly set 1n the ground, an intermediate vertical standard 3, which istubular in form, a transverse connection 4 having avertical central ldepending portion 5 which is driven into the upper end of the tubularstandard, and two i Patented March 16, 1909. Serial No. 438,068.

branch vertical members 6 which are fastened at their lower ends to theopposite extremities of the transverse connection 4 and are attached tothe channel rails at their upper ends. The rails are not insulated fromthe branch members owing to the difliculty of perfectly insulating themat that point but instead the branch members are insulated at theirlower ends from the transverse member in such a manner that it ispractically impossible to short circuit'the rails. In the preferredstructure of this portion of the invention as shown in Fig. 5 the lowerend of the branch member is provided with an enlarged dished portion 7which forms an inverted cup and is fastened u on an enlarged horizontalplate 8 at. the enc of the transverse connection, the transverseconnection being bent or curved suiiriciently upward at or near its endto locate the plate above the center portion ofthe connection as shownin Fig. 4.

An insulating sheet 9 of hard fiber or similar material is inter osedbetween the cup portion 7 and the p ate 8 and the bolts 10, which fastenthe cup portion 7 upon the late 8, are likewise completely insulatedfrom the plate 8 by sleeves 11 of iiber or similar insulating materialfitted around the bolts. The lower ends of the sleeves are flangedoutward to form annular 'insulatinfr washers 12 which fit between themeta. Washers 13 and the bottom surface of the plate 8.

It will be noted by reference to Fig. 5 that the depending flange of theinverted cup portion projects downward sui'iiciently to extend below thelower surface of the plate 8 and thus completely protects the joint fromshort circuiting through the action of rain, snow or sleet. l

The car adapted to travel upon the rail is preferably of the form shownand described in my Patents Nos. 831,263 and 851,649 granted September18th 1906 and April 30th 1907, respectively, to which reference is to behad for a complete and comprehensive description.

The car frame has horizontal members 14 between which mail boxes 15 arecarriedand car axles 16 are journaled in the upper portion of the frameand extend into operative connection with electric ymotors 17.

The car wheels are mounted on the endsof the car axles in a peculiarmanner so as to be perfectly insulated therefrom. Each wheel properconsists of a disk 18 having a lateral extending horizontal flange 19,the .outer circular surface of which forms thetread of the wheel and as.annular outwardly extending flange'20 .at the inner endof the lateralflange.

A hub 21 is fitted upon and fastened to the end of the car axle 16 by afeather or key 22 and has a flange 23 at its outerend. This hub isinserted into the car wheel and fastened thereto by bolts 24 which passthrough the flange on the hub and screw into the disk portion 18 of thewheel. A disk 25 of hard fiber or other insulating material isinterposed between the hub and the car wheel, and sleeves or bushings 26of similar insulating material surround the bolts 24 where they passthrough the flange of the hub so that no art of the bolts 24 comes intocontact wit the metal of the hub or its flange. The inner ends of theinsulating sleeve or bushings 26 are flanged to form insulating washerswhich are interposed between the metal washers 27 on the bolts 24 andthe flange of the hub.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be noticed that the flange 23 ofthe hub 21 is smaller than the opening in the wheel in which it fits, sothat no part of the metal of the hub or its flange comes into contactwith the car wheel.

After the wheel and hub are assembled, the` hese rails are fastened tothe `branch verti,

cal members 6 by bolts 29. The trolley wheels 30 are su ported from thecar frame by pivoted trol ey arms 31 so that the travel in the channelsor grooves of the rai s 1, with their peripheries in contact with theunder surfaces of the transverse portions of the rails as shown in Figs.1 and 4. The trolley arms 31 are insulated from the car frame in anywell known way, and Wires 32,

conduct the electric current from the trolley arms to the motors 17. Thegreat merit of this construction of rail is that the contact between itand the trolley wheel is absolutely protected from the elements, itbeing practlcally impossible for any rain, snow, sleet, dirt or anyforeign matter to accumulate so -as to vinterfere with the contact. Thetrolley wheels are maintained in contact with the rails with a springtension in the usual manner.

Each of the car wheels is provided with a central extension 33, whichruns on a suppleinentary rail when it is desired to reduce the speed ofthe car. This extension consists of a steel in having its inner endflanged and embedde in the disk portion 18 of the wheel, the insertionbeing made during the process of casting the car wheel, so that thesteel extension is practically integral there= with, see Fig. 2. Y

The rails 1 are electrically energized from any suitablel source ofelectric energy.

l claim- 1. In a transportation system, a track, a.

series of supports each having two branch members from which the railsofthe track are supportedfa transverse connection attached to the lowerends 'of the branch members and insulating means interposed between thebranch members and the transverse connection.

2. In a transportation system, a track, a series of supports each'havingtwo branch members from which the rails of the track are supported, atransverse connection attached to the lower ends of the branch members,insulating means interposed between the branch members and thetransverse connection and means for covering and protecting theinsulating means from the weather.

3. In a transportation system, a track, a series of supports each'havingtwo branch members from which the rails of the track are su ported, atransverse vconnectionattache to the lower ends of the branch membersand insulating means interposed between the branch members and thetransverse connection covered and protected from the weather.

4. In a transportation system, a track, a series of supports each havingtwo branch members from which the rails of the track are supported; saidbranch members being provide at their lower ends with enlarged invertedcup like portions, a transverse connection havin plates at its ends adated to fit within and e fastened to the cup l e portions of the `branchmembers and lnsulating material interposed between the cup like portionsand the plates.

5. In a transportation system, a track composed of rails o channel formin cross section with the groove beneath and a car on said track havingwheels on the top-of the rails and a trolley wheel projecting into thegroove anicll against the under surface of one of the ra s.

6. In a transportation system, a track composed of rails of channel formin cross section with the groove beneath and a car on said track havinwheels on the top ofthe rails; said wheels eing insulated from theremainder of the car and a trolley wheel projecting into the grooveand-against the under surface of one of the rails.

7. In an elevated transportation system, a

series of supports each composed of a base, a

vertical central standard, a connection having ace'ntral dependingortion tted in the upper end-ot` the centra standard anden-n largedplates at its ends, branch members having inverted cup like portions attheir lower ends attached to the enlarged plates of the transverseconnection, insulating material between the cup like portions and theenlarged plates and rails secured to the branch members.

8. In a transportation system, a series of supports each including avertical standard, a transverse connection 'secured to the verticalstandard,' branch members fastened to but insulated from the transverseconnection and rails supported from the branch members. Y

9. In a transportation system, the combination with'inverted channelrails, of a car having axles7 wheels secured to but insulated from theaxles and supported on the rails, an electric motor operatlvelyconnected to the axle and a trolley wheel attached to the car andengaging in the groove of one of the channel rails.

10. In a transportation system, the combination with inverted channelrails, of a car having axles, wheels secured to .but insulated from theaxles and supported on the rails, and an electricmotor mounted on a caraxle and driven by electric power carried by one of the rails.

1 1. In a transportation system, the combination with inverted channelrails7 of a car having Wheelsinsulated from the remainder of the car andadapted to travel upon the top of the rails, an electric motor attachedto the car and a trolley Wheel extending from the car and engaging inthe channel 1n the rail.

WILLIAM C.l CARR.

Witnesses L. M. SANGsTER, GEORGE A. NEUBAUER.

